1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shielded enclosure that can contain a transmitting and receiving device and, in particular, concerns a shielded enclosure that can selectively allow communications to and from a transmitting and/or receiving electronic device such as a cellular telephone, smart phone etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cellular telephones, smart phones, tablets and other similar portable electronic devices have become ubiquitous in recent years. The functionality of these portable devices have also increased very dramatically in recent years. For example, these portable electronic devices can incorporate GPS functionality where the device is receiving information that indicates the exact whereabouts of the device. This information can be used to track the location of the device by sending an appropriate query to the device.
Even devices without GPS functionality can be tracked to very specific locations. For example, if the device is connected via a cellular network, the device is continuously communicating with the network. These communications with the network are often detected by multiple antennas and triangulation strategies can be used to determine the location of the device to a very high degree of accuracy. These types of devices are often capable of providing location information even when the device has been turned off as the processors within the device may still operate and the antennas and other inputs of the device may still be operable.
However, owner's of these devices may not wish to have the location of the device to be continuously available for monitoring. Having the location information being continuously available may result in unwarranted invasions of the privacy of the owner of the device as someone else may able to use the location information to determine the location of the device and, thus, the location of person owning the device. Moreover, information that is stored on a portable electronic device may also be accessed by unscrupulous entities when the device is actively transmitted and receiving. This information can include sensitive personal information such as financial information.
Hence, there is a need for a simple way of permitting an owner of a portable electronic device to be able to selectively prevent or otherwise inhibit communication with the device to thereby inhibit the determination of the location of the device or unauthorized access to the device. To this end, there is a need for some type of carrying device that can selectively and effectively shield the device from communications with the outside world.